Paradiddle-Diddle Warm-Up

Summary: The following warm-ups combine three paradiddle-diddles followed by one double paradiddle, seamlessly transitioning from right- to left-hand lead.

Use: Since this fun lick is designed as a two-measure phrase, it might not be best used as rock-fill material. Besides a great warm up, it’s perfect as solo content and end of the song craziness (what I call “drumnastics”).

Description: The first exercise is played on one surface (practice pad or snare drum), while in the next two, the sticking pattern is orchestrated around the drumkit.

Notice that in the first two exercises, the first two notes of each sextuplet grouping are accented, while in the last one, only the first note is accented.

Tip: To play this with speed, the key is to make sure that you play loosely, use finger control on the double strokes, and use a whipping motion on the accented notes.

Try These:

• Combine Exercise 1 with Exercise 2. If you have more than a high tom and a floor tom, feel free to move your hands around to different sound surfaces. Now play all three exercises consecutively.

• Play two measures of a rock or funk groove followed by two measures of Exercise 2 or 3.

• Play Exercise 3 with two accents instead of one. In other words, play a crash/bass drum hit in the second note of the sextuplet grouping in addition to the first note, while keeping the sticking the same.